


if you just keep holding on

by littlelooneyluna



Series: Robron Week 2018 [4]
Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Separation, kidnap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 18:06:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14117964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/pseuds/littlelooneyluna
Summary: Day 3 | Distance/Separation:lachlan kidnaps aaron and disaster strikes as robert and aaron end up separated amongst the rubble.





	if you just keep holding on

**Author's Note:**

> enjoy! xx

 

Aaron's on one side and Robert is on the other.

He tries to blink out everything in front of him but all he sees is thick blackness and dust and it fills his lungs so quickly that he can hardly breathe.

For a second, he slumps back and almost just lets everything crawl over him and then he sees this slab of a wall just cutting straight through the barn. He holds a hand against it and tries to ease himself up and then his heart is _aching_ because -

"Rob?" He croaks out, breathes in all the air and groans against it. " _Robert_." He slams against the brick, eyes wide and alert and he's this absolutely mess.

And Robert isn't saying anything back.

 

~*~

 

Lachlan's exposed in dramatic fashion.

The pub is full and everything just collapses around him.

Belle has her suspicions, she hears him pouring his heart out to a pair of graves and she's startled into doing something.

And Rebecca, it's not even like she can help all that much because of what he's done to her.

But then one day she's _scared_ of him again and everything seems to just click.

"You caused it?" It's Robert's voice, he's the first one to shout amongst everyone else staring at Lachlan. He feels everything build up inside him and he can hardly breathe as he looks at the boy who's responsible for taking everything from Rebecca, punishing his own son too.

Lachlan keeps his head down, looks like he's trying desperately to think of some sort of excuse but he can't.

Aaron's standing behind Robert, practically feels the heat and anger radiate from the older man and within seconds he has to hold him back from launching himself at Lachlan.

"Rob, Robert calm down." Aaron whispers, check to check, breaths colliding as Robert looks down at Seb gurgling in the pram next to him and Liv looking in horror from the side.

"You - you don't know what you're talking about." Lachlan flaps now, and then he scowls at Belle. "How could you think I -"

And it's the wrong move to make, grabbing her arm a few seconds later is even more stupid because Cain practically fly kicks him out the pub and everyone is silent again.

Belle's this wreck of girl and Lisa envelopes her into a hug like she's only little. "Mum I heard him, he said he was sorry for - for what happened. He said he swerved the wheel and -"

It's enough for Robert to hear.

"I'm ringing the police." He blurts out, gets a nod of the head from Aaron and Chas as he scrambles for his phone and lets them know about the psycho on the loose.

Only,

They let him go.

Not because they don't think he did it, but because they need to actually gain more evidence before they can just start dishing out charges.

Robert's not saying anything, curled up on the sofa with Seb in his arms and Aaron shuffled close to him.

Liv's sitting beside them all, headphones out for this evening like she knows she has to be there for Robert that little bit more.

The television is murmuring in the background and Robert can't even pretend like he's listening to it. Instead, he's just staring down at Seb and looking at how long his little body has got.

Everything seems to hit him there and then and Aaron gently strokes his cheek.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He pleads, needs to feel close to Robert at a time like this and can't bare the distance that this is creating.

Robert shudders, "Seb could have _died_ if I hadn't taken him that day. Lachlan could have just - just _lost_ it like that on the way to the airport." He can't breathe again suddenly and even Aaron's startled by how true it all is. "We could have lost _Seb_." He holds the baby towards him a little and wills himself not to cry.

Liv's never actually seen him _cry_ before, she's seen tears in his eyes and heard his voice cracking but never like this and he doesn't want her to.

Aaron seems to understand and then so does Liv.

"Can I read Seb a story? Upstairs?" She asks and Aaron smiles a little adoringly at her before Robert passes Seb over to her and sees him wriggle a little with glee.

He only seems to let everything out when they're both gone and Aaron's wrapping his arms around him.

"All this time, I thought it was _me_. I thought that - that taking Seb led to _everything_. But Lachlan was always going to be deranged enough to swerve the wheel." Robert has his face buried in Aaron's chest, and the younger man draws small circles into his back, kisses his head over and over again and it's so unlike Aaron to be this tender without warning but Robert craves it.

"He isn't going to get away with this." Aaron says, voice cold and unmoving and he thinks of dunking Lachlan's head under that barrel for even longer now. "I promise. He's going to pay." He says, and Robert nods against it.

 

~*~

 

Aaron slams a hand against the wall, waits to hear Robert's voice and then feels all this blood rush to his head so suddenly that he nearly falls back.

He's bleeding, feels it trickle down his face but all he can concentrate on is the silence.

"Rob," he heaves out. "Robert _please_." He says and then suddenly he's hearing someone coughing on the other side of the wall.

Robert heaves, suddenly panicked as he tries to reach out for Aaron and is met with this brick wall in between them.

"I can't - I can't see ya. I can't -" Robert babbles, feels all this pain race through him suddenly. "Aaron?"

Aaron's smiling a little, all this relief flowing through him and he tries to forget the ache in his chest from the pressure of the bricks laid out over him. "I'm here. Rob, it's okay." He tries and he's awful at this, he's sobbing against how much he wants to hold Robert's hand.

And then he's hating himself for causing this.

He did this, he did this.

( Aaron's unable to help himself.

He's got Seb in his arms and he's trying not to get emotional over the fact that he has no idea about what sort of monster he's related to.

"I've got a monster too you know." He whispers, strokes at Seb's little face. "But we're not like them okay? Doesn't matter how much we're related to 'em." He kisses him gently and then suddenly Lachlan's knocking on the door and Aaron has to clench his fists against the sound. "You stay there mate."

He holds his breath as he goes towards the door and then sees Lachlan there, eyes red and looking shabby. He supposes he's been living anywhere he can since the whole village knows about what he's done.

Everyone _except_  the incompetent police.

"I'm only answering this door to tell you to _never_ come here again." Aaron's saying, voice tight and controlled and Lachlan looks through him, looks straight at Seb and Aaron practically loses it. He blocks his view and pushes the door shut but Lachlan keeps it open.

"Where's Robert?" Lachlan's asking, and Aaron scowls against the question. He knows that he probably wants to see him and do some damage before he's caught out and Aaron won't have any of that.

"You need to leave. Right now." Aaron says, only Lachlan turns into _Lachlan_ again and slams a hand against the door.

It makes Seb start to wail and Lachlan doesn't even flinch against the sound.

"You think I'm just going to roll over and let myself get sent down for this? It was _your_ pretend husband who did all of it. _Him_. And he deserves to pay for this." Lachlan scowls, face red and eyes burning into Aaron's and making him frown.

"You're not touching a _hair_ on his head." Aaron snaps, but his voice seems to waver with emotion and Lachlan's eyes flicker.

"Yeah? We'll see about that won't we?" Lachlan says, _smirks_ and Aaron drags him against the door with ease.

"I'm warning ya." Aaron growls, adrenaline racing through his body because this is suddenly too much to even begin to handle.

He has a family now, he has everything he wants and Lachlan can't ruin it.

He _can't_ but -

"What have I got to lose now?" Lachlan says, looks towards Seb and then back at Aaron. "Tend to your little baby then Aaron." He's smug, he's still smug and Aaron's shaken as he leaves because he's right?

He has absolutely _nothing_ to lose.

He holds Seb suddenly, rocks him back and forth. "It's okay. He's gone now, I'm going to protect you. Always okay?" And he kisses at his head again as he watches Lachlan stalk off. }

Robert heaves again suddenly. "Aaron? Aaron - I - I can't breathe right." He complains, because his sides are pressed against something heavy.

Aaron nods. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." He whispers, holds a hand out against the wall and his chin wobbles.

Robert frowns suddenly against the sound in Aaron's voice. "Don't cry. It's - don't say sorry."

Because he shouldn't be.

Aaron's laying here like this.

Aaron could _die_ like this.

Because of _him_. Because he should have _listened_.

{ Aaron hasn't let go of Seb all day, and his arms ache by the time Liv comes through the door with Robert behind her.

He's not himself, still not himself and Aaron's not trying to make it worse but -

"Make sure you've locked that door." Aaron says, stands with a sleepy Seb in his arms as he bounces him. Robert frowns against it and Liv knows what he means.

"I haven't seen him today." Liv says, "Zak and Lisa have kicked him out. He won't -"

"He already _has_." Aaron hisses, looks towards Robert who's suddenly scowling.

"I'm going to kill him." He says, turns like he's going to leave but Aaron holds him by the arm.

"No." Aaron panics, "Okay. No one leaves." He says. "Not until he's behind bars."

Robert seems to get it, holds Aaron towards him and strokes his arm. "He isn't getting to us."

'He said he was coming for you. He's going to hurt you and I might lose you so don't leave my side.'

It's what Aaron wants to scream but he doesn't. Instead Robert holds him and he shakes a little in his embrace.

"We're going to be fine." Robert promises, drags Liv back towards his side and kisses her head. It makes Aaron's heart do something funny. "He can't touch us.}

Aaron gulps hard against the black air.

"I should have told ya the truth, instead I - I didn't want to worry ya too much and -"

The sound of something falling beside him makes him wince, and Robert shudders against it.

"Aaron?" Robert screams, "Aaron, are you okay?"

And this, them like _this_ is too much for him to even get through his head.

He wants to hold Aaron in his arms, rock him gently and suddenly he's thinking of their family and the fact that he's feeling cold, drained against everything around him.

Aaron manages to cough out something to let Robert know he's still okay.

"We - we need to keep our eyes open." Robert keeps saying, breathing ragged and something pressing deep within his side, hard enough for everything to turn _woozy_ in his head as he speaks.

He thinks about only a few hours ago, when Aaron was still so far away from him and everything came to a halt in his chest.

His chin wobbles against it, against the fact that he'd caused Lachlan to do what he did. To lose his whole mind.

{ Aaron didn't want him to go, he'd begged for Robert to stay with him all day.

But here Robert is, staring down at his work folder and telling himself that Lachlan is less than nothing to them.

And then his phone is ringing,

And it's _him_.

At first, Robert's smug with it all. Because he knows that the net is closing so far in that Lachlan is probably struggling to breathe right about now.

"Keep talking Robert. You keep talking." Lachlan's voice is strangely calm and Robert finds himself unsettled by it all. "You know, Seb's a right crier when Aaron's upset isn't he? It's almost like he picks up on it or something."

And there was a mug in Robert's hand, it's nothing but pieces on the floor now and his mouth is gaping open against Lachlan's words.

He can't help but move towards the house, practically runs there as he hears Lachlan laughing down the line and -

Seb's just crying his eyes out on the sofa and -

He's alone.

Robert drops the phone, heaves in and out from the way he was running and then suddenly brings Seb towards his chest and rocks him.

He's shaking, his little boy is shaking and so is he.

"It's okay, daddy's here. Daddy's right here okay?" Robert's eyes are wet against Seb's face and he keeps his voice tight until he's hearing Lachlan still speaking down the phone.

"You shut up." Robert screams. "Where is he? Where's Aaron?" He says, and there's something so awfully tragic about what this is.

He's made this happened, with his scheming and poking and prodding.

He's made Lachlan into this deranged sort of boy who goes around killing his family and kidnapping people and -

"He kidnapped me once, remember?" Lachlan says breathlessly down the line, almost lightness in his voice. "No one cared about me then. But you? You were more worried about him than you were about me ending up dead."

And Robert's eyes flicker against Lachlan's yammering. Something inside him just aches and he needs to know where Aaron is.

The feeling sparks through his hands and shakes the phone suddenly and -

"Just tell me -"

"You've taken everything. So I'll take everything too." Lachlan says calmly. "I take Aaron. You lose it. You can't be there for Seb. He goes. I win." He says, and then he's laughing.

He's laughing and he's this calculated evil little -

Robert falls towards the sofa under the weight of it and then he breathes out steadily.

"Police." He blurts out. "I'll ring the police. If you don't let him go, I'll -"

"You'll come alone Robert. If you want him alive by the time you get here." Lachlan says, and Seb's still crying in his arms, face red and tears streaming and -

The world turns black around him. }

He can't hear him,

He can't hear Aaron and his heart just thumps against his chest in this uncomfortable way. It makes everything inside him tense and he's willing himself to keep his eyes open, keep breathing, keep trying to -

"Aaron?" Robert slams against the brick between them, clears his throat and heaves against the blackness.

Aaron's eyes droop, something aching in his side and he slams at the brick wall. He tries to make sure Robert hears him but something crashes around them again and he can't help but wince, attempt to pull himself up into a ball.

Robert shudders. "I'm hurt." He says, groans and tries to keep talking, keep Aaron alert against how _bleak_ absolutely everything is feeling right about now. "My - my side, Aaron I -"

His pain only perks Aaron up, makes him suddenly aware that Robert, his Robert, his _husband_ is so close to him and he's feeling all this pain and he needs to be there for him too.

He needs to help.

"We're going to be alright. Just - don't think about it." Aaron whispers, holds out a hand out against the brick wall. "Put - put your hand against the wall yeah?"

And Robert does, feels just _something_ flow through him as he pretends he's holding Aaron's hand.

A tear falls down his face and the panic inside him seems to just settle a little.

"Are you hurt?" Robert asks suddenly, and Aaron looks down at himself for the first time.

Something sharp is sticking out of his stomach, there's blood everywhere and he's not _fine_  but -

"Me? I'm - just a few scratches." He says, he lies because it's easier and because he knows Robert has this insane habit of wanting to sacrifice himself for Aaron in ways he shouldn't.

Robert breathes out steadily. "Oh _God_ , okay." It's settled him a little, bought back some colour to face because Aaron's okay. He's _okay_. He smiles almost faintly as shaky hands press against the wall.

And he struggles against the way his mind travels back.

{ Aaron's nowhere to be seen. That's all Robert knows as he walks into the barn.

He expects him there, chained, hurt, _something_ but it's too dark and he can't see anything.

"Aaron?" Robert whispers, voice steady and firm and he doesn't want Aaron to see him scared, absolutely petrified.

He hears the sound of feet and suddenly the door is being opened and Aaron's flung towards Robert's feet.

He's not hurt that much, he's got his legs tied though and Lachlan's clearly punched him hard because there's a redness under his eye that won't budge as Robert falls to his knees and holds him.

"Aaron? God," Robert's crying, tears streaming down his face and Aaron's shaking in his embrace.

He's literally _shaking_ against every single memory and every single -

"Seb? Liv?" Aaron's panting, because the last thing he sees is Lachlan standing there and he's got a gun and Seb's crying in Aaron's arms and he's refusing to let him go.

He doesn't want to leave him but -

"Shhh," Robert whispers. "They're fine." He says, hands falling on Aaron's face. "Come on, I've got you okay." He promises.

Only Lachlan's suddenly coming in and he's making loads of promises too.

They're mostly about making Robert's life a living hell and this being payback or something.

He doesn't take him seriously, still.

And then Lachlan's got a gun out.

Robert's hands fly up. "Put - put it away okay? You've made your point. You've scared us and now -"

Lachlan's taller than Robert remembers him being now, he's got this gun in his hand and the beanie he used to rock when he was younger has been long abandoned.

"You think I wanted to scare ya?" Lachlan says suddenly. "Nah." He smiles. "This, it's payback."

And Aaron's panting against the ground. "Yeah? Well go on then, do your worst but you leave him alone." He's shouting, he's this brave, stupid, amazing man and Robert shakes his head against his words so quickly that he nearly faints.

" _No_." Robert begs, "Lachlan. Look at me. It's me, isn't it? It's me, always has been. You - you did what you did 'cause of me."

And he knows that has some level of truth it. He hates how much actually because Robert was the constant in Lachlan's life until he was gone and he left this insane boy to go out into the world and harm.

Lachlan's still waving the gun around and then he nods.

"You're right yeah. It is you." And Robert's shoulders tense as he points the gun at him. "So how do I make you suffer eh? Through this beefcake." He says, and he's still laughing.

And he's this maniac who Robert can't let take Aaron from him.

Not like this, he keeps thinking.

Over and over and over again -

"You don't have to do this." Robert blurts out, eyes wet. "The police have nothing concrete do they?"

And Lachlan suddenly produces his phone, hits play and Robert is suddenly met with this terrible confession.

' _I swerved the wheel. And I wanted them to die. I wanted them to hurt exactly how I was hurting. I wanted them to finally understand how it felt._

_My name is Lachlan White and I killed -_

It's enough to make Robert have to turn around and press his hands against his head because hearing it all is suddenly so sickening.

He feels tears building up inside of him and Aaron's still tied and bruised and on the floor.

"You - you absolute monster." Robert growls, leans forward as if he's going to do something.

"Come back to me." Aaron winces out and it stops Robert in his tracks, makes him move towards his husband and kneel a little to comfort him.

"I sent that to Belle. And she's probably told the police by now which means I have absolutely nothing to lose do I?" Lachlan is almost getting off on this, and Robert can't get over how much of a sick bastard he is.

It's everywhere, this blackness, this terrifyingly true reality that Lachlan has absolutely nothing to lose and -

"It doesn't have to be this way." Aaron pleads, "Lachlan. Just let us -"

"What? Go?" Lachlan screams. "If - if you kept your dirty hands to yourself in the first place, then mum wouldn't have been so bored out of her mind and obsessed with interfering with my life all the time, because she'd still have a husband!"

And the ground shakes.

And Aaron's flawed by his logic as he feels his eyes glaze over with tears.

"That was me Lachlan." Robert jumps in front of Lachlan's view. "Me. I - I had the affair, I broke your mum's heart. Me."

And Lachlan's rolling his eyes. "Oh, well done Sugden. Why do you think I'm going to break yours then?" He points the gun back at Aaron, and Robert feels everything at once as he sees his husband crying his heart out.

Because,

Aaron doesn't want to die. He doesn't want to die.

He wants to see Seb grow up and hear his first words and he wants to watch Liv find happiness and -

He wants to marry Robert again.

He wants -

Suddenly Lachlan puts the gun down.

It falls to the ground and everything is horribly silent before he's sniffing and wiping at his face with the back of his hand.

"You think I'd add anymore life sentences for you two?"

It's all one big joke and the feeling of relief rushing through Robert's whole body is overwhelming as he watches Lachlan turn around and leave.

He's going and Aaron's still shaking from how near to death he just was.

"Rob." He cries out, hands fly towards Robert's shirt and he grips tighter and tighter and -

"I've got you, we're safe. Aaron we're -"

Only there's a sound of an engine suddenly, and someone slamming on breaks and -

Lachlan's ploughing straight at the barn.

And everything around them collapses. }

The pain isn't easing, it's _relentless_ and Aaron pants against it now as Robert groans.

"Tell - tell me something." Aaron whispers, heaves again as the smoke and the dust flies through him. "Something to - to distract us."

Just something, Aaron wills and Robert keeps his hand firmly pressed against the wall in hope Aaron is doing the same.

"I booked us a holiday two nights ago." Robert smiles against how flipping spontaneous he was, glass of wine and some cheesy chick flick on in the background. Aaron wasn't watching any of it but they were in Monte Carlo and Robert got _ideas_. "You and me. Four nights. Monte Carlo."

And Aaron feels something _break_ in his chest.

This love, this unwavering sense of underserving _love_ , just overwhelms him.

"I love you." Aaron panics, "Rob, can you hear me?"

Because this pain is only growing heavy against him and he's crying now.

He's crying and Robert blinks quickly, feels himself growing woozy again.

"Hmm?" He murmurs and Aaron's eyes widen.

"No. No, Robert. You said we had to stay awake. Come on -" he leans forward a little and the pain is _unbearable_. But he doesn't give a shit, he bangs against the brick wall over and over again until Robert is responding again.

"I love you too." Robert whispers, has no idea if he'll ever be able to say it again because they're _stuck_ and -

"No. No don't say it like that." Aaron's suddenly willing them to be strong. "We - we have to shout for help. We have to try and get someone." He coughs harshly, and something else crashes down, another wooden beam.

They're lucky it doesn't hit them.

"Help!" Aaron's screaming, it sucks all the energy out of him and he can hardly breathe.

And it doesn't even work.

"Always - always so brave." Robert mumbles adoringly. "Brave Aaron." He whispers, hands falling against the wall. " _My_ Aaron. You - you got to be _mine_."

Aaron's heart sinks.

"I still am. I still _will_ be." He says, "Because we're going to get through this, we're getting out." Only his face is so dangerously pale now and he can't bring himself to look at the state of his stomach or the way his heart rate is slowing.

Robert nods slightly, breathing ragged again. "Tell Seb - tell him I loved him _so_ much. And - and Liv, she was my sister."

And _no_.

Aaron slams a hand down on the divide and shakes his head. "Robert Sugden, don't you _dare_ even try to -"

"Say goodbye." Robert finishers his sentence lightly. "I don't _want_ to Aaron but - it hurts." There's _blood_ everywhere and his eyes feel heavy -

He was thrown across a room by a moving car and knocked unconscious and -

"I know it does." Aaron reassures him gently. "But we just have to hold out a little longer okay?" He whispers, eyes flickering and then he bites his lip. "'Cause I was planning on asking you to marry me you idiot."

He was planning on getting down on one knee and asking Robert to be with him forever and ever in this awfully sappy way.

And Robert's mouth hangs open, his hand on the wall rests and starts to fall slowly as he hears Aaron's words.

"Yeah?" Robert's whispering against the lump in his throat.

"Church, hall, _everything_."

And he's crying again,

"You and me." He whispers. "So you can't go and - and give up on the chance of that happening can you?"

He's honestly not sure how he's still keeping it together, and then his head lolls back a little until he's resting on something hard.

And then he's hearing someone shouting from outside.

He lifts his head up and sees flashing lights and -

"Aaron, Aaron there's -" Robert shudders against his relief, feels the pain finally begin to ease around him and Aaron smiles faintly before feeling his eyes close all at once, too quickly and -

He feels someone shouting closer to him, and all he can say is,

"Him first."

And he means Robert.

He means he _needs_ Robert to get out _first_.

There's a threat of a beam falling, everything is _cracking_ and shaking because of the weight the men bring in.

Aaron sees everything through a blurry haze and then suddenly Robert is feeling a mask over him, faces telling him to move fast and press down where it hurts and he's nodding slowly.

And then something falls down on them again, splits the wall and he watches bricks cascade around them.

"Aaron?" Robert says, drags the mask off his face so that he can see his husband. "Aaron, we're okay now - look at -"

Only Aaron's pale, his lips are a strange colour and there's this faint smile on his face like he's at peace and Robert has to be dragged off of him.

" _No_." Robert screams. "He - he said he was fine." He's shaking, look down at the state of Aaron and the tears fall. "Wake up. Aaron, wake up." He's pleading, and thy blackness returns because the paramedics are telling him to let go of Aaron's hand and let them take him out to safety.

But he _knows_. He feels something deep inside him and -

"Don't tell me he's dead."

"We need to get him out."

Is code for,

'He might as well be' it seems.

 

~*~

 

He's in Vic's arms suddenly, and he's _sobbing_.

"They - they took him. They said they needed to operate but it's been _ages_ Vic."

And he's not supposed to be sitting on a plastic chair.

He's got cracked ribs and something wrong with his lung, needs further testing but he won't move.

Vic's eyes are damp. "He'll be okay." She whispers, strokes Robert's hand. "And Lachlan? He's - rotting behind bars as we speak Rob. He's - he's _gone_."

And there's light relief in that, he supposes.

But it doesn't help _this_. The hole only growing in his heart as he struggles to breathe.

"He could die." Robert's hands are trembling. " _Die_." And Vic tuts as he leans towards her and he's back in her arms like a baby.

And she tells him Seb's fine with Diane, she reassures him and holds his hand.

"I thought he was fine. He told me he was but - it was a lie. He just wanted me to - to not worry about him." Robert's eyes are stinging from the way he's crying and he wonders if he pulls his hands out in front of them, would they shake? He supposes they would, and then he's suddenly back _there_ and Aaron's struggling on his own.

Vic seems hurt by his words and she doesn't say anything for a few seconds as she rubs his back. "That's Aaron all over." She whispers, sniffs. "He _loves_ you."

Robert gulps, shudders a little. "Yeah. He does."

And for the first time in so long, he wishes Aaron didn't.

He keeps wishing and then Chas and Paddy are there and they're a mess and -

Robert manages to drown things out until he hears the doctor telling him that he can see Aaron.

That he's out of theatre.

That it went well and they've managed to successfully give him the blood transfusion he needed.

"He'll be groggy, a bit out of it but you're free to see him."

And Robert smiles against it.

He shuffles into the room, they're all surprised he can actually walk but he's not. Because he's trying to be strong for Aaron and that's always been the way things have gone.

"Hey you." Robert whispers, eyes soft as he looks at Aaron laying flat against the bed with tubes sticking out of him. "Don't leave me alone." His skin prickles. "Don't leave our family, please. We need to do the whole proper wedding thing eh?" He says, gentle hands fall on Aaron's bruised face and he kisses him tenderly.

Only he feels something _back_ and -

Aaron's eyes are flickering.

"That - isn't - a proposal." Aaron's stammering out, hands suddenly tight against the sheets as he looks up at Robert with drowsy eyes.

Robert gasps. " _Aaron_." He says, eyes flickering. "Don't - don't to that again." He pleads, "God, I - I nearly lost you." He whispers, "Don't - do ever, ever leave me like that again, okay?"

And Aaron's eyes are red and Robert is staring over him, hair all over the place and looking an absolute mess but -

He pulls a hand up and holds Robert's cheek. "Mine." He whispers, and Robert nods.

"Yours." He whispers back, kisses at Aaron's nose and everything is still until Aaron's panicking. "Lachlan."

Robert strokes his face. "Gone." He mumbles, "He isn't touching us. He's _gone_ , I promise."

He promises and then he's crying against it.

"I'm so sorry for _everything_ he did." Robert keeps saying, and Aaron's shaking his head against it all before his chin is wobbling.

"We're a team. You and me. And -" Aaron winces slightly against his pain before smiling. "I love you." He says, and his head _spins_ with thoughts of losing Robert like that again.

Just slipping away.

It makes him use all the strength he has to squeeze at Robert's hand and then Robert's forehead is against his, he kisses him gently and when he pulls away Aaron's looking at him like he's never looked more in love.

"I want Seb and Liv here. I want to see them," Aaron's asking, and Robert nods his head before sniffing and combing through Aaron's hair.

"I'll get Vic to bring them okay?" He whispers, "Now though, get some rest."

And Aaron's scowling. "You too." He's saying, "Come." And he pulls at Robert's hand, gestures for him to scoot the chair over and then they're sort of awkwardly resting on each other. "Don't ever want to feel that close to losing you again. I can't stand it." Aaron admits, eyes glassy and this heart ache building.

Robert gets it so much that he can't say anything for a second.

"You won't." Robert swears, gently stokes Aaron's face again.

"Because we're getting married? Having a summer wedding?" Aaron's whispering, hands so tight in Robert's and he's clearly shaking still.

And Robert smiles at him like he's the sun and the moon and the stars too.

"Still haven't actually proposed." Robert reminds him, "Down on one knee and everything."

Aaron almost laughs, keeps everything tight around Robert and he doesn't want to ever let go.

He just wants to stay this clingy.

"I can do that." Aaron whispers, accepts this challenge in the midst of everything heavy around them and feels that separation suddenly ease into absolutely nothing.

He shuts his eyes, and Robert's hand is in his as Chas and Paddy watch from the window in a soft sort of amazement.

 

 


End file.
